


Blooming Red Lotus

by InerrantErotica



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-04-12 11:16:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InerrantErotica/pseuds/InerrantErotica
Summary: Canonically, the Red Lotus were captured during an attempt to kidnap Korra as a child and raise her as one of their own. This story aims to answer the question of what would have happened if they had succeeded.Each chapter is aimed to be read in about a half hour like an episode of the TV show, with at least a little fighting or sex if I can work it into the plot.





	1. Welcome to Republic City

[i]Earth... Fire... Air... Water.

When I was a girl, my uncle told me the story of how the previous avatar ended the Hundred Year War.

Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko seized control of the Fire Nation colonies, forming the United Republic of Nations where people from all around the world could live together.

Aang only wished to unify everyone in peace and harmony, but his actions only threw the world further out of balance. Eighteen years ago, he passed away and I was born. My name is Avatar Korra.

As a child, I was rescued from an order who wished to control the avatar...

I've been on the run ever since. With my new family, the Red Lotus, I've been training to avenge my family and restore freedom and justice to people everywhere.

Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world.[/i]

[b]Book I: Air[/b]

In the dead of night over the snow-drift southern pole, a sudden burst of fire erupted into the night sky, and then another and a third. The signs of fighting could be seen from miles around and the colorful display of bending reflected upon the icy surface of a massive glacier overlooking the Southern Water Tribe. Under the colorful curtain of lights dancing above, a dragon came down with a roar, shooting hot flames from its mouth. A sudden beam came right back at it, and with two distinctive drumlike beats- a powerful explosion hit the majestic creature and sent it to the ground.

The whole place was swept up in a cacophony of fire, earth, and ice- smoke and vapor and violence.

With the dragon out of commission, the battle was evenly matched between four combatants on each side. They were fighting just on the edge of the glacier to the ocean, not far from a fortress made of ice and snow.

"Tonraq!" A dark-skinned woman screamed, rushing out of the walled building and into the arms of a tall and fierce water tribe warrior. His opponent, a long-haired earthbender with tattoos, stood vigilant as the warrior embraced his wife. The woman collapsed to her knees on the snowdrift as her husband held her, "Korra... Our baby... She's gone!"

The long-haired earthbender looked to his comrades with a nod- an armless waterbender, a tall woman with an eye painted on her forehead, and a short fighter with a scar over his left brow. They retreated from the fight to form a circle and were quickly surrounded by their opponents- the Fire Lord Zuko, The Southern Water Tribe Chief, and Tenzin, the son of Avatar Aang.

Their waterbender slashed at the icedrift with her tendrils, shooting up vapor and ice to cover their escape whilst cutting gaps into the glacier to make their escape. "Don't let them get away!" Tonraq roared, summoning up some water of his own out to give chase...

"They have my daughter!" He desperately cried as the Red Lotus fled before their very eyes...

...Far away, where not a sound of battle could be heard, a gaunt man in a blue cloak and robes put a young girl atop the saddle of camel yak. "Uncle!" She cried, shooting him an angry glare, "What's going on?"

"We have to go, Korra." Unalaq replied as he climbed up the beast and sat in front of her, "It's not safe here. You're going to live with your cousins."

"Where's mommy and daddy!?" The girl protested as he kicked the beast awake and bid it to stand. Unalaq sighed, shaking his head, "Korra, those men from the White Lotus- they... they wanted to take you away from your home. Your father refused but... I'm so sorry."

Tears began to well in the young girl's eyes... and at that tender impressionable age, Korra was fed the most horrible of falsehoods.

 

Thirteen years later, a young girl was fighting off four benders clad in black and red upon a circular arena. She had no tears in her eyes this time- her gaze was the purest blue and intently focused on the task at hand. Korra ducked and dodged and weaved, her bending a dance of acrobatics and efficiency.

The Red Lotus firebender whirled around in a roundhouse that sent a wave of fire washing over Korra’s head as she ducked low. With an uppercut, Korra unleashed a geyster of earth that threw the firebender onto his back. A tendril of water surged towards her and she dodged to the side, gritting her teeth and thrusting out a palm-strike at its source. A modest blast of air traveled forth from her hand towards the Red Lotus waterbender, who tossed some water beneath her feet and slid away from the air blast on a slide of ice.

Frustrated, Korra took a step forward and thrust both her fists up into the air, creating a boulder directly underneath the evading waterbender and tossing her off of the ice. Korra ran up to her and jumped in the air, punching a fireblast like a javelin at the grounded woman. A metal cable wrapped around her feet and the avatar was pulled away, dragged along the floor by an earthbender. Korra grabbed some of the ice with her bending and fashioned into a more appropriate axe-shape to cut the cables. With the connection severed, she could easily pull them apart and free her ankles.

The metal bender tried to bind her again, but the avatar was too quick, batting away the severed cables with the ice. She swirled her arms like a windmill, conjuring up a wheel of flame that she hurled towards the metalbender. Her opponent summoned forth a block of earth in defense.

Korra grinned, spreading her feet wide and balling her fists at her hips. With a powerful thrust of both her hands, she sent the block of earth tumbling down onto the metalbender and burying him.

The firebender was just groggily coming to on his hands and knees when the avatar ran up to him and gave a good axe-kick to the small of his back. She pinned him to the ground with her foot and grinned.

Her technique was violent and efficient- each style bearing the unmistakable mark of her respective teacher, even if she couldn’t quite lavabend or conjure up explosions. Even her airbending resembled Zaheer’s acrobatic martial arts and less any kind of formal nomad discipline.

As she handily dealt with her opponents, one by one, the leading members of the Red Lotus watched from a balcony overlooking the underground arena.

"She's gotten strong." Ghazan said admiringly, tweaking his mustache.

“Yet her airbending is… insufficient.” Zaheer sighed before he shouted to all the combatants, “That is enough!”

"Woohoo!" She cried out, pulling off a helmet reminiscent of the old fire nation army style. At eighteen years old, Korra had grown into a strong young woman- athletic and pleasing to the eye, with her hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail and her ears covered by dark brown tresses that framed her face. She had the dark complexion of a water tribe girl but was dressed in black and red like a descendent of the old Fire Nation colonists.

After bowing to her opponents, Korra rushed over to P'li for a hug, appearing almost petite in the tall woman's embrace, "You did great." The older woman assured her, "Your firebending is superb."

"Haha, thanks!" Korra replied with a wide smile, pulling away from her and marching herself before the rest of the group. She shook her fists excitedly as she cheered, "Avatar Korra, master of all the elements!"

"Yes, your mastery of Fire, Water, and Earth is quite demonstrable indeed." Zaheer said in his usual professorial style, running his hands through his short-cropped hair, "I think it is time for us to-" She ran up and interrupted him, grabbing his hand and clutching it hard, “-to come out of hiding!? To fight the White Lotus again?”

Even the ever-dour Ming Hua couldn't help but crack a smile at the girl's enthusiasm.

Zaheer was a man in his mid thirties with narrow hazel eyes, a scar over his brow, and a cauliflower ear earned from a lifetime of boxing. Though he had gruff and chiseled features, he looked upon Korra with a sort of paternal warmth, "-time for you to leave us." He said with resignation, "If only for awhile."

"W-what?" Korra asked, “I don’t understand.”

"Korra, I'm not an airbender." He reminded her, “I can only teach you so much about an art form I myself cannot perform.”

She blinked and looked away, frowning. "I know that." Korra pouted, "But you know more about the air nomads than anyone else alive. If there's anyone-"

"-if there's anyone that could teach you," He interrupted, "It would be a real airbender. The previous Avatar's own son."

The girl looked away, her aqua blue eyes drifting off dejectedly, "I don't want to leave again... I don’t want to leave you guys and- and besides, he's with the White Lotus! You know what they did! They'll kill me if I go to him."

"Not if you keep your identity hidden, Korra.” Zaheer reassured her, putting his hands on her shoulder, “If you became an air acolyte, you could learn from master Tenzin in secret. Observe him. Absorb his teachings and learn from the last air nomad alive. Don't you want to learn how to airbend?"

She looked him back in the eyes, a pure blue gaze meeting his own pale green, "Of course I do..."

"This the last thing keeping you from being a fully-fledged Avatar and restoring freedom back to the world." The older man said, his tone suddenly turning serious, “We don’t have much time. Harmonic Convergence is almost upon us...”

"Geez, don't make it sound so fun." Korra huffed, shaking her head, “How soon?”

“As soon as possible.” Zaheer answered. With a frown, she wormed out of his grasp and walked away.

“Korra.” Zaheer reached out for her, but P’Li put her hand on his shoulder and warned him, "Give her some time."

Korra spent the night in her room, holding a framed picture of her parents... her real parents. She had to admit Zaheer was right... she was far from being considered a full-fledged Avatar. Not until she could enter the Avatar state or airbend properly. As powerful as she might have been under the Red Lotus' guidance, what was an Avatar who could only bend three elements?

Korra believed in everything too. Connecting the physical and the spiritual worlds again, bringing balance and harmony by destroying the tyrannical world order… Of course she wanted to help but for all this talk of freedom, sometimes it felt like she had so very little of it herself. She reminded herself of the adage that freedom often had to be earned.

More disappointing was the fact that she would have to leave everything behind again. Her life was full of constant danger, always on the run ever since her rescue. The White Lotus controlled all the world's governments and were intent on controlling the Avatar too. The world might not have known her face, but Zaheer and the others were still Republic City's 'Most Wanted' thirteen years later… That’s why they couldn’t come with her. If she was going to become an Air Acolyte, she'd have to go alone.

She wondered who she should even say goodbye to. It wasn't easy to make friends when you were the Avatar. ‘Hi, my name’s Korra and everyone in the world is after me. I like to spend my free time training to overthrow world leaders.’ Yeah right.

There was somebody who would miss her when she was gone...

Korra went for a walk through the city streets later that night, enjoying the cool tropical air of the southern Earth Kingdom. Alone, Korra ruminated over whether or not to just go without saying anything.

"Hello there, young lady." An elderly gentleman selling oracle bone divination on the sidewalk softly greeted her, "My, I sense quite an aura about you, eh?"

"I'm not looking to get my fortune read." Korra distractedly said with a wave of her hand.

"No? Well, something's troubling you. My eyesight might be bad but even I can see it plain on your face." The old man shook his head sympathetically, not even looking her in the eye. If he wasn’t blind, he did a damn good job at pretending.

Humoring him, Korra sadly laughed and turned to face him, "That obvious, huh? It's just... I guess hate goodbyes."

The old fortuneteller hummed and nodded like he’d heard it a hundred times before, "Leaving again, hm?" he looked past her, even though his choice of words had caught her attention, "The only thing worse than having to say goodbye is not getting the chance to say it at all. It is a terrible thing to live in regret..."

That struck her a little close to home and Korra had to shake her head and sardonically smile. He was right… "Yeah." She muttered, "That's true."

A rock slammed against the wooden slats of a window and the sudden noise awoke a young man from his bed. He groggily came to and made his way to the window dressed in nothing but his trousers. With short brown hair, an earthy complexion and fair features, a shirtless Liao hanging out his window would certainly have aroused the attention of most of the neighborhood girls had they known.

"Kotomi?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and looking down at the street at Korra, who was waiting for him with another rock in hand. She pointed to the roof and he nodded his head with a yawn, retreating back into his room to get dressed in the green and brown tones of a typical lower class Earth Kingdom boy.

A few minutes later, he joined her on the rooftop, where Korra was already laying on her back staring up at the constellations in the night sky. She greeted him with a peck on the lips but he sensed something was wrong.

Uncertain of how to broach the issue, Liao didn't say anything for a long time before Korra finally sighed and told him the truth. "I'm leaving soon."

The boy sat up, looking at her for a moment before slinking back into place to stare up at the stars with her, "Already? Damn." He sighed, "I was really starting to like you too."

She nodded with a sad smile, "Me too. I had fun though."

"Yeah..."

He nudged the back of her hand with his own and they interlaced their fingers together.

"Oh!" Liao suddenly exclaimed, furrowing his brow, "We never got to visit the Cave of Two Lovers."

"Really?" She softly laughed, "Isn’t it just a tourist trap now?"

"Yeah, well, I thought it'd be romantic." He joked… but she didn’t laugh.

Korra tossed her head to the side to better get a measure of his face, drawing Liao's attention away from the stars. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, reaching up to stroke his cheek. They both closed their eyes, lost in the moment beneath the moonlit sky. Their lips remained joined until at last she drew away and cooly whispered, "Or you thought you'd get in my pants."

The sentimentality of the moment ruined, Liao chuckled and shook his head, nuzzling her in the process, "Guess we'll never know for sure what I thought."

Korra rolled her eyes and tossed her head back with a smile... She thought to herself for some time before untangling her fingers from his own and moving her hand across to his thigh. Instantly his heart started to beat faster. She started to move her hand up and down his upper leg, softly whispering, "This'll be the last night we can look up at the stars together."

Liao could offer no reply- his mind was racing with her hand so intimately close.... It triggered every possible cognitive response that an imaginative and hormonal boy might have in his position.

Though they only met a short while ago, Korra felt like there really was some potential with Liao... Long ago she resolved never to get too sentimental with friends or boys. She had a mission in life. Vengeance to be realized and… world governments to overthrow?

Liao didn't even know her real name! How could she tell him that she was the Avatar? -or anything about the Red Lotus. She should have known this relationship would be doomed from the start... yet even so, moments like these were nice. She closed her eyes and sighed, resolving that she should probably make it up to him. He didn't deserve to be lied to and then left in the dust because of her sentimentality.

She rolled over on her side and kissed him again, slipping her tongue between his lips and leaning into his body. Korra reached over with her opposite hand to rest on his hip. She knew what she wanted to do but was still just a little hesitant.

Over and over again, she was always waiting for the 'right time' but it never came. By the time things were just starting to get serious, she already had to leave again. Liao certainly wasn’t the first boy Korra had these kinds of feelings for… and it never got easier.

Making out with him certainly did help her along. She had to admit he was a good kisser. It was getting her more and more excited. Her nipples stiffened against her top and she was getting quite warm between her legs…

Now resolved, Korra planted her hand over his groin, feeling for him through the fabric. He was already a little hard. Korra giggled in between kisses and began to stroke him to complete erection. Liao was eager to return the favor, crossing his arm over hers and cupping her womanhood through her shorts. She spread her thighs just a bit to give him access... and slipped her hand into his pants to pleasure him directly.

She found him hot and firm to the touch. The young woman was fascinated just touching him, feeling for herself the way a man stiffens and becomes aroused. 

"Kotomi..." Liao murmured as she began to glide up and down his length. She couldn't help but smile, seeing him so flustered like this. Where was all that cool guy confidence from before? He followed her lead, slipping his fingers into her shorts to find her sex already wet and waiting.

The both of them grew more desperate as they made out and pleasured each other. Their tongues danced and swirled between their lips and Korra began to lose herself. All of her worries seemed to float away, leaving only this transient moment of intimacy.

She pulled away to look down at her work. Korra wanted to see what she felt... so she pulled his cock out and just stared at it as she stroked him harder. Her azure eyes were fixated on the hot manly thing between her fingers. He softly moaned, trying not to sound too easily affected by her every little touch and twist of the wrist. This only encouraged her, as Korra reached her other hand around beneath his body and to the back of his head. She ran her fingers through his brown hair until she closed her fist around a handful and pulled his head back with it.

Much to her satisfaction, Liao seemed to like it when she was rough.

He was losing track of his own movements- the fingers rubbing on her sex slowing until he just had them resting there on her clit. Korra smiled when the realization dawned on her that this was his first time! The avatar was determined to make it a good one...

She pulled his head closer to her own and kissed his neck as her hand pumped faster up and down his shaft. Liao’s chest rose and fell more rapidly as his body began to tensen and his breath became more shallow. Korra rubbed his sensitive tip against her midriff so that he could feel her skin. To her surprise, she already felt a bit of moisture. His tip oozed warm precum against her hard abs and Korra bit her lip.

"Kotomi." He groaned huskily, "N-not so fast."

"You mean like this?" She asked with a nervous smile, trying to put on much more confidence than she really possessed. Squeezing him firmly, Korra did slow down... but she also made every stroke that much more thorough. From his base all the way to his tip, her whole hand slid over his length and forced another pleasured sigh from his lips.

"Not so hard now!" He protested with a laugh.

Korra was beginning to understand... He didn't want this to end! Not this early. Korra smiled with the realization. As much as she liked Liao, the avatar was reluctant to go all the way with him here on this tile rooftop of all places. How could she when he didn’t even know her name? Korra clutched harder at a fistfull of hair and kissed his cheek, whispering, "You're close?"

"Y-yeah." He nodded, squirming in her grasp. He was hoping she’d ease of if he told her that...

Yet the avatar didn't relent, even as she felt his cock stiffen and throb. She rolled his sensitive head over her abs until he began to moan, loud and helpless in her arms. Korra’s eyes darted around out of reflex. Even though this rooftop was pretty secluded, Liao could arouse quite a bit of attention sounding off like that...

"I love you." Liao desperately let out, shutting his eyes and clinging to her as he started to climax. She felt a hot splash over the firm musculature of her abdomen- it coalesced into pools in her navel and between every nook of her abs. The white release, slick and shiny in the moonlight, was a stark contrast against her dark skin. Korra looked down with rapt attention as she finished him off, blue eyes enthralled at the sight of his first orgasm with a woman.

She felt him coursing between her fingers, the muscles in his virile cock urging forth streams of pleasure out from his body and down his length… Liao had entered another place, it seemed, overwhelmed with the pleasure.

The spray of hot cum splashed off her skin and dripped down her stomach and onto the roof. Finally, after what seemed like ten or eleven hot spurts splayed across her bare stomach, his cock stopped its pulsing and she began to slow down.

Korra’s muscles relaxed as well, and she let a thoroughly satisfied Liao roll onto his back. She rolled over onto her back as well, rubbing her cum-covered skin, massaging the fruit of her efforts into her firm abs. Liao was panting, barely able to utter, "Kotomi… I told you to slow down."

The woman softly laughed and closed her eyes. "Sorry."

Aside from crickets, the only sound that could be heard was their contented breathing. Even Korra found herself panting a little...

As soon as the adrenaline wore off, a sense of dread and melancholy began to creep back into her awareness. She resolved to banish it far away- if only for one more night. She didn’t want to look back on this night with any regrets.

“I guess…” Liao sighed, “As soon as one of us gets up, this is goodbye.”

“...Yeah.”

“You gonna tell me why you have to leave?”

“...Sorry.”

“Ah, I think I understand.” He laughed in spite of himself, “Let’s just… stay a little while longer.”

 

The following day at the station, Korra took a step off the platform and onto a train headed north. Looking back, she brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at her surrogate family standing there on the platform- Zaheer, P'li, Ghazan and Ming-hua.

Just for her sake, they were all taking quite a risk appearing as a group. One of them alone would be an innocuous sight, but all four of them together were quite recognizable as the world’s most wanted criminals... She appreciated the support- she needed it. For the first time, Korra was going to be out on her own. The conductor’s bell rang out in a monotonous tone and the train roared steam into the air. Hanging off of a pole, Korra leaned out and waved goodbye as the train began to pick up speed.

She didn't know when she was going to see them again. How long would it take to master airbending? Weeks… months? Korra didn’t have much time. Korra sighed when they disappeared from sight. It would be a long way to Republic City...

Out the window, the Earth Kingdom countryside stretched out for miles as far as she could see. Vast tracts of farmland, majestic mountain ranges, valleys and cities. With earth bending, there was nothing to stop a train from going straight through a cliff or into a ravine. The wilderness of all was the most beautiful, the places most untouched by humans. As she pressed her forehead against the window, she wondered what it might be to just live like the first people did… away from the artificial constructs of kingdoms, armies, and societies. Together with the spirits in harmony. Order within disorder... Freedom. That’s why she had to unlock her power as the avatar and fight to tear down these falsehoods.

A day and a night passed until finally, when Korra was curled up in a ball in her seat asleep, the train suddenly stopped. With a mighty roar of the train’s whistle, she was stirred from her slumber.

She looked out the window, groggily wiping sleep from her eyes. "Last stop, Central City Station, Republic City!" came the distorted voice over the PA system. Korra quickly got out of her seat and rushed to the disembark. She wasn't ready for what she saw when she left the train car.

There were people everywhere! More than she’d ever seen in her life, dressed in modern fashion from all over the world. The station’s architecture was grandiose and spacious, wrought in metal and stone. It was unlike anything she saw in the North Pole or the Earth Kingdom. So this was the decadence of the United Republic that she had heard of…

Yet instead of being repulsed by its excess, she found herself in awe of its majesty. Leaving the building, she passed by the statue of Firelord Zuko and all the impoverished street performers and kid sham-artists beneath it.

"Wow, look at this place..." She murmured, azure eyes drifting to and fro.

After about an hour of walking towards the smell of the ocean, Korra beamed a wide smile at the vista laid out before her- Yue Bay in all its glory, with the statue of Avatar Aang on one side and Air Temple Island on the other. Her eyes locked on the visage of her former incarnation…

“Aang.” Korra whispered, “Your city is beautiful, but...” She trailed off, suddenly in doubt. She never spoke with him in the Avatar state and only knew about him from books and her mentors… now she wasn’t so sure if she knew much about him at all.

Her stomach growled. She didn't bring anything with her... Not even a change of clothes. That was part of the deal when you become an Air Nomad- you gave up all your material possessions.

‘And they’re vegetarians too!’ Korra remembered with a groan.

She turned away from the bay, looking out at the storefronts and towers inland. Airbending could wait... She had only just got here, and Korra didn't relish the idea of being locked up for the weeks or even months it might take to begin airbending... A bath would be nice too.

The avatar had to go around shopping a bit before she found someone who would take her Earth Kingdom coins. They weren’t worth much around these parts and she had a feeling that the merchant was short-changing her on the conversion.

Korra sat on a crate set out among many in front of a storefront and chomped down on a nice roasted possum chicken drumstick. She watched a fresh stack of newspapers get delivered to a newsboy hawker on the streetcorner. The kid pulled out what seemed like an absurd amount of paper cash for the product and read it over as the avatar finished her meal.

“Extra! Extra!” The newsie yelled out a few minutes later, waving a paper up in the air, “Fire Nation Princess cracks down on Anti-Bender Revolution!”

“Fire Nation Princess?” Korra asked aloud with a curious smile.

“S’cuse me, miss.” A rather tall man asked after he looked her over from behind. She turned around to see that he was a laborer for the nearby store, tasked with delivering the crates indoors.

“Oh, sorry.” She smiled, hopping off the crate.

With her interest piqued, she went over to the newsboy and took out her remaining coins. “Excuse me- could I have a paper?”

Standing atop a small box, the kid still only stood up to about her shoulders. He gave a sour grimace when he saw the Earth Kingdom currency… but then, when he looked up at the young woman, he pulled off his cap and shrugged, “Ah, sure.”

She dropped the coins into his hat and took one of the papers.

Korra found a quiet place in the park to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets. Her eyes darted through the articles, skipping right past the pro-bending and to the featured story.

‘Azusa, the daughter of Fire Lord Izumi, announced today the discovery of shipments headed to the Fire Nation were instead being diverted to the Equalist anti-bending revolution.’

“Revolution?” Korra furrowed her brow. She’d talked about such a thing so many times over with Zaheer and the rest that it kind of astonished her to think that someone else was doing the very same thing. Of course, the Red Lotus wasn’t about benders and non-benders. It was about freedom. She read on…

‘The findings spell doom for Cabbage Corp, whose CEO Lau Gan-Lan was arrested in his home this weekend. He was reported as crying out "No! Not my Cabbage Corp!" as the Metalbender Police force took him into custody.’

“What a mess.” Korra scoffed. She’d heard much about Republic City’s ideals about law and order. Benders lording over non-benders. A ruling council that completely excluded the vast majority of its citizenry. It was an utter hypocrisy.

‘Princess Azusa said she intends to continue her investigation with Councilman Tarrlok "as it pertains to Fire Nation interests." Chief Beifong, noted for her repeated public clashes with the princess, has declined to comment.’

The front page showed a photograph of an attractive woman standing at a podium with a number of microphones in her face. She had ebon hair tied into a long ponytail, light eyes, and a crown like a flame. Korra found herself drawn to that alluring face… but there was one more article that caught her eye.

‘Triad Alliance in retreat after turf-war against Equalists.’

Criminality, tyranny, revolution… Republic City was in chaos and it was all just business as usual! She shook her head in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone could print all of this without pointing out how crazy it all was.

Korra brought her hands together, bunching the paper up between them. She looked around at the people enjoying themselves in the tranquility of the park- this little oasis of nature in a loud and busy metropolis. It seemed so far away from all the things she’d read about…

Soon, all that would change. Once she mastered all of the elements and the avatar state, the avatar could open the Spirit Portals. Then Korra could get started fixing this place and restoring balance.

She stood up and resolutely balled her hand in a fist. There was only one thing left to do now. She would go to Air Temple Island and learn in secret from a true airbending master...

 

...Far away from the sound and noise of Republic City's busy urban denizens and the hum of its industry, there lay a temple beneath the earth in the heart of the city.

In its central chamber, the floor was painted with a depiction of Raava and Vaatu swirling in equality. With the Red and White Lotuses at their cores to form a massive taijitu, it was surrounded by the symbols of the four elements and candles extending to the walls. And there, meditating at its center… sat a man in white and grey robes over black clothes beneath.

He was an older sage, in his sixties or seventies with short white hair closely cut to his scalp and pale skin- a fair face for his age and a distinguished seriousness to his features. He must have been attractive in youth, and still was to those so inclined.

At the edge of the circle, a woman in the White Lotus uniform stood with her hands folded into her sleeves.

After quite some time, the man opened his eyes, revealing them to be glowing pure white… a moment later and the light receded, showing his pupils to be a soft grey. “She has finally come." He said, "I sense a kindred spirit… in imbalance.”

The White Lotus attendant widened her eyes and dropped her hands to her sides, “Avatar Korra? She's here?”

“Yes.” He nodded, standing up out of his meditative trance, “It is as I was told. She has come to complete her training before Harmonic Convergence.”

“Right.” The woman nodded, “Then… we should inform Tenzin immediately!”

“No.” The man thrust out his palm to stop the woman in her tracks, “We must tread carefully… Free of the Red Lotus flower, she is but a petal on the wind. Where she flies and where she falls, not even I can know for certain.”

“As you wish...” The White Lotus attendant bowed her head respectfully, “Avatar Xian.”


	2. A Petal in the Wind

Nestled in Yue Bay lay the sanctuary of Air Temple Island. Away from all the ruckus and life of Republic City, a pair of women strolled around the tranquil gardens and scenic walkways of the enclave.

"You know, Kasumi..." The older woman said with a smile as she cradled a baby in her arms, "I have to admit it's rare to get anyone your age wanting to join us. Most people join the acolytes when they’re a little older. I guess they want to settle down."

Korra smiled back at Pema, wearing the orange and yellow robes of her new hosts, “Well, I’ve… always been fascinated with Air Nomad culture and the poetry of Guru Laghima.”

“Laghima?” Pema blinked. A moment passed and she let out a hearty laugh, “Ah, you’ve got me there. Maybe Tenzin would know. I wish I could say I was reading Air Nomad poetry when I was your age."

“So what were you doing when you were my age?” Korra asked with a friendly smile of her own.

“Well, it wasn't that much more interesting.” The woman shook her head as she poked at the baby’s nose and played with him, “I was a total wallflower. Never thought I would even be an acolyte, much less married to their master! ...Now look at me, four kids later.”

Korra produced her friendliest smile and remarked, “Well, you know what they say- you just have to trust in love.”

“-and it’s always brightest in the dark, yeah, yeah.” Pema smiled out of the corner of her mouth, “Well, I had a lot of help.” She shot the avatar a sideways glance, her eyes darting down the other woman’s body, “You know, I had quite the figure myself when I was your age.”

“Oh?” Korra lifted an eyebrow and sheepishly smiled, "I did hear you were, you know, a lot younger than Master Tenzin..."

Pema shot her a look that was at once skeptical and humorous, "Should I be worried?"

The young woman laughed and mockingly offered her hands up in defense, “M-me? Oh no, I'm not looking for a husband!"

The Air Acolyte patted her hands down and joked, "Yeah, well, neither was I."

Their friendly walk had taken them into a teahouse where Korra was to meet with the airbending master himself. She went into this whole arrangement a nervous wreck but, astonishingly, Pema had been nothing but gracious. For some reason, the avatar never imagined her would-be kidnappers in the White Lotus had loving families.

“I think my husband’s in a meeting right now.” Pema explained, nodding to the door at the end of the tearoom before she sniffed the air and looked down at the child in her arms, “-and oh my, someone needs changing! Please make yourself comfortable, Kasumi.”

The older woman politely excused herself, leaving the avatar alone in the room with a short table and teapots laid out for her meeting with Master Tenzin. Once the coast was clear, the avatar’s curiosity got the better of her and she wandered over towards the entrance to the airbender’s office. She pressed her ear against the thin door to eavesdrop on a man and a woman discussing something beyond.

“It just doesn’t sit right with me.” The woman said, “...but I don’t have any proof. You know Lin Beifong. Why don’t you talk with her?”

“Ha. That would only make things worse, I think.” The older man replied, “Lin and I are… not on the best of terms. Besides, I thought this whole affair was resolved with the arrest of Mr. Gan-lan.”

Korra narrowed her eyes… until she heard some rustling and the woman’s voice started to get louder.

"I'm afraid not." The woman's voice admitted with a sigh, "I don't buy that he was the one supplying the Equalists. Well, I need to give my mother a call about this. If you'll excuse me."

Korra quickly scurried back over to her proper place away from the door- just as the door swung open and out strode a woman in a high ponytail and aristocratic Fire Nation dress.

It was none other than Princess Azusa from the newspaper. She was a golden-eyed woman with short bangs, a high ponytail, and refined but practical royal clothing. Only a few particularly long-lived individuals would have recognized the resemblance she bore to her great aunt… disconcerting as it might have been.

“My, whose this?” The princess asked with a lurid smile when her eyes locked onto Korra. Following her into the tea room was a older man in orange and red robes. With a distinctive beard, a shaved head and an arrow running down his scalp and neck, there could only one possibility as to his identity.

“I believe she is the newest initiate of the Air Acolytes.” Tenzin said with a genial smile, turning to the avatar, “What is your name?”

Korra was taken aback… She didn't expect to meet with an Airbender and Fire Nation royalty in the same day. People she long thought were her enemies... “Uh, Kasumi, sir.” The young woman answered, putting her hands together and bowing her head.

“That’s a beautiful name, Kasumi.” Azusa declared with a sly smile as she sauntered over and kept her gaze fixated on the avatar, “So what made you decide to take up the life of an ascetic?”

“Uh! The structure! I wanted the structure!” Korra blinked, looking up at the princess. That sounded more natural in her head... “-and I’ve just always admired the Air Nomads since I was little so…”

“Your Highness.” Tenzin cleared his throat, “I believe you had some business to attend to?”

Princess Azusa shrugged and turned on her heel to the airbender, “Very well. It was a pleasure, Master Tenzin." She nodded her head respectfully, a gesture her host dutifully returned.

Leaving Korra with a playful wink, Azusa marched out of the tea room with a melodramatic flourish.

Now alone with the Airbender, the Avatar inhaled deeply, concentrating everything she had on this moment… The first impression was always the most important. As her mind was racing, Tenzin suddenly spoke before she had a chance.

“First, there is something I must address.“ He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nostrils.

Her eyes widened when he suddenly got down on his knees prostrated himself before her. Korra recoiled back, clenching her fist and furrowing her brow. She didn’t know quite what to expect but… not this!

“On behalf of my father and our people, I thank you, Acolyte Kasumi.” Tenzin said, not removing his face from the floor, “It is only because of people like you that our traditions, our culture, and our very legacy can be preserved. My children and I are the last airbenders alive. without your help, we could not keep the tradition of the Air Nomads alive.”

Korra stumbled back over the table and reached out to lift him up out of his obedience, but Tenzin tilted his head up and made her pause. She smiled nervously and uncomfortably at this sudden reversal, “T-there's no need for that. I just… I, uh, always wanted to be an airbender myself, you know?” It seemed much less convincing out loud, but still she had to commit to the story, “I thought this was the closest thing there was to it.”

The older man seemed pleased. He nodded approvingly and sat upright. With a soft smile, Tenzin replied, “It is said that the first Airbenders learned from the Sky Nison. I have always hoped that perhaps the art could be learned again by those dedicated to its study...”

“Then…” Korra leaned closer, blinking, “Do you think I could join your meditations and exercises? Maybe I could... learn?”

Tenzin cleared his throat, now finding himself on the receiving end of unexpected flattery. He stroked his beard and closed his eyes to hide the supreme satisfaction he had with her interest, “I believe I could certainly oblige-”

“Joining meditations already?” Pema interrupted with a wry grin and half-closed eyes. She stood at the door to the tea room with a newly changed baby Rohan in her arms, “I thought you said I didn’t have to worry, Kasumi.”

Korra’s eyes only grew wider as she shook her head and waved her palms in front of her chest. She wasn’t sure whether or not Pema was serious… but Tenzin hadn’t the slightest clue what his wife meant about that.

 

“Mako.” A man in simple clothes said, leaning against one of the walls in a payphone booth and frustratingly scratching the back of his head, “Mah-Ko. No, I know he’s not a pro-bender anymore but we- he lived in the arena. I’m trying to find him.”

Satomobiles passed him by on the street as it started to rain. The man looked out at it with a sigh and continued, “Just… just get me Toza. He knows ‘em.”

“...What do you mean ‘Toza’s not there either? What happened?”

A long silence… then he shrugged and shook his head, “Alright, just… if you see either of them, could you give me a call? It’s his brother, Bolin. I work at the Moon River club. -and tell Mako I’m sorry.”

“...Yeah. Thanks.” He hung up the phone and left the booth, bundling up in his coat as the rain started to come down. Bolin looked up at the sky and blew some air out of her cheeks. It was getting dark and he’d have to get ready soon… He passed by some gangsters hanging out in front of a night club with a neon sign above it that read ‘Moon River’. They gave him a tip of their hat as he walked by.

Bolin walked down an alley and into a basement door that led him through a narrow hallway. He made his way to a set of shower rooms and opened up a locker, ignoring the photo taped on the inside showing Bolin with Mako and Hasook in their old Fire Ferrets uniforms. Their namesake Pabu was snoozing away in a little bed made especially for him, nestled in the corner of the room. The earthbender hung up his coat and shut the locker.

He sat down on a bench to start wrapping his knuckles in cotton strips. Pro-bending could get pretty rough… but it was child's play compared to his new living.

 

“It’ll be nice to have someone our age to hang out with.” Jinora said with a smile as she goose-stepped around with her hands behind her back. It was a clear summer day and nary a cloud was in sight above.

Jinora and Ikki were more than happy to walk with Korra after they got to know her a little better. She’d been there for about a week already and often observed Tenzin and his children from afar- or participated in group meditations. This was the first time she had some one-on-one time spent with one of the Airbenders, even if they were still only kids.

“Y-your age?” Korra asked incredulously… Tenzin’s daughters weren’t even out of adolescence! The avatar nervously laughed as they walked past the other acolytes in various states of meditation or domesticity around the island.

“Everyone else here is so old!” Ikki groaned, “Other than Meelo... but he doesn’t count! He’s a boy -and gross!”

She couldn’t help but smile at the kids’ antics. All her life she had imagined Tenzin as this ominous figure that tried to steal her away from her parents when she was little… but having met his wife and children and seen him kneeling before her in the tea room, Korra was having her doubts that he could be involved in a plot to murder a couple and take their child away.

“Hellooo?” Ikki thrust herself into Korra’s vision, shocking the avatar out of her reverie, “What’s a matter, Kasumi?”

The woman recoiled and then stammered, “Sorry I was just… uh, looking at that thing over there.” She nodded over at the circle behind Ikki, something resembling an arena with a number of wooden slats gently swirling in the wind. Each bore the symbol of air on their face.

“Oh! The airbending gates!” Ikki exclaimed with a rapid-fire clapping of her hands, “It’s an ancient training regimen! You wanna see!?”

“Y-yeah!” Korra nodded, trying to hide how enthused she really was.

The two girls dragged her over to the circle and Jinora began to explain the nature of the exercise, “The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them.”

“That doesn’t sound s-” Korra was interrupted by Ikki adding, “-but they’re also spinning!”

“...Do you think I could see it in action?” Korra asked the girls as she scratched her cheek. They enthusiastically nodded and conjured up a powerful gust of wind through the circle, sending every gate spinning and rattling.

“I’ll show you how it’s done.” Jinora beamed as she marched forward into the circle. With a deep inhalation to prepare herself, the Airbender expertly weaved in and out of the gates, demonstrating with grace the methodical circular movements of a master-to-be. Within moments, she made it through to the other side and ritualistically bowed.

“You wanna try?” Ikki asked with a sly and mischievous smile. She was apparently quite eager to see the young woman get knocked and battered around!

“Sure.” Korra grinned, stepping up the edge of the circle and cracking her knuckles. The avatar thought back to her training with Zaheer... the way he moved, the way he incorporated the principles behind Airbending with his experience in martial arts. Even if he wasn’t a bender, the man knew how to move like one. While all of the other elements came naturally to her, she had spent the most time training with him.

To get through the narrow gaps, Korra dipped her head down and cartwheeled between the spinning gates. She followed the rotation with her back to one of the whirling contraptions and quickly transferred to the next, spinning all the while. Another cartwheel slipped her through a gap between two gates and soon she emerged on the other side before Jinora.

Korra grinned in triumph and the young Airbender stood dumbstruck for a moment before rushing up to Korra and exclaiming, “Wooooow. You’re a natural, Kasumi!”

Tenzin stroked his beard at the curious sight... Distracted from his readings under a nice shady tree a short distance away, he was mentally preparing himself to go over there and chide his daughters for making a game out of such a sacred and difficult trial. To tease a nonbender with it was to make a mockery of the sacred ritual. Yet there Kasumi was, standing on the other side completely untouched.

Of course, those movements were by no means orthodox for an Airbender. He almost felt as if he had seen them before... but couldn't quite place when or where.

 

Another week had passed and Korra was getting restless in Air Temple Island. All the quiet tranquility and breathing exercises wore on her patience. Training to become an Airbender in secret proved extraordinarily difficult as well. There wasn't really anywhere she could practice and the whole nature of the element ran counter to everything she had been raised to believe. She tossed and turned in bed, trying not to wake up any of the other female acolytes that she had shared quarters with. Eventually she drifted off to sleep.

It was the dead of night and she was plagued with the most bizarre dreams... A sensation like falling to the earth. A pair of women in blue and green on each side of a path of light through a starlit cosmos. Lightning streaking across the void. It all went by in flashes and that final loud crack jolted her up out of bed.

“Nightmares?” A woman’s voice asked, jostling the avatar’s shoulder. It was another air acolyte, a genteel older woman with a soft smile, “I got homesick after a while too. It’s alright, though.”

Korra rubbed her eyes and smiled, “Thanks.” She said, pulling out her pack from under her bed and looking at the red and black clothes inside, “I think I’m just gonna… go for a walk.”

The older woman gave her a significant look and Korra assured her, “I’ll be back. Promise.”

Under the cover of darkness, the young woman left the female quarters behind and made her way to the edge of the island, looking out over the water at the city. Her eyes drifted to the statue of Aang. This was his city… and she had only barely scratched the surface before. A few weeks without being able to bend or walk freely or eat anything but noodles and vegetables! Korra needed some kind of release if she was going to stay sane. She hated feeling so restrained, unable to bend or move freely, or even to be honest with anyone. Maintaining this deception was started to wear on her.

She looked around nervously to make sure no one was watching before she knelt down and pulled out her normal clothes. With one last check for witnesses, the avatar started to take off her air acolyte garb and stow it away under a bush not far from the beach. Tucking her regular attire under her arm and standing stark naked under the moon, she undid her ponytails and started walking into the water with her hair down around her shoulders. Any large-scale Waterbending would be a bit too conspicuous… so she’d have to cross the bay with something a little less flashy.

As her nude body dipped into the water, she bended a small air bubble in the water just to keep her clothes dry. She held them tight in one hand and waded out into the bay with the other.

A few minutes later, on a lonely pier in the dockyards of one of Republic City’s many shipping centers, a woman's hand popped out of the water with a bundle of clothes. Her graceful hand dropped the bundle onto the surface and out hopped an athletic and very naked young woman. Korra took a seat and tossed her hair to shake out all the water. She reached over for her clothes and laughed nervously when she noticed a bearded man gawking at her with a fishing pole in his hand. Homeless by the looks of it.

With a bit of a nervous smile, the woman quickly threw her shirt back on and warily pulled up her shorts under his lurid gaze.

“Hey.” She sheepishly asked, tying her hair back up, “Do you know of any place that serves food this late?”

 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Announced an attractive young woman in a white button-up dress shirt, black tie, a pencil skirt that exposed quite a bit of stocking-covered leg. Her hair was two-toned, black roots just starting to show through under a blonde dye job. She luridly held a microphone hanging from a wire with her pinky popped out, “Our next match here at Republic City Rumble Five will be… Big Bendin’ Bo and Little Min! Golly, that’s a matchup like a pymgy puma and a tigerdillo, huh!? Only at Moon River will ya see fights like this, folks!”

She stood in the center of a pit beneath a circular Colosseum where spectators could look down upon the arena from above. All the lights were fixated on the pit, obscuring in darkness the hooting and jeering crowd above. Men and women clutched their yuans and hollered for their favorite fighter. Many hollered for the attention of the lovely announcer as well....

Emerging out of an underground entrance to the pit was a young wiry man wearing little else but a pair of light green shorts. He stomped on the ground, propelling into the air two rocks that he simultaneously punched. They clung to his fists like gloves and he knocked them together as he started to hop and skip towards the center of the arena. “Ooh, Little Min’s got moxie tonight! Looks like he’s rearin’ to go and win the pot, huh!?” The lovely woman declared.

From the other side, a much larger man walked out with a hooded silky jacket draped over his muscular form. Bolin was also wearing nothing but boxing shorts, his tinted a deeper shade of green with brown accents. Around his feet and hands he wore cloth wrappings. He shrugged off his jacket and started warming up his rotator cuffs as he approached the center stage.

“-and here we’ve got the ever-charming Bolin come to defend his title! Outta the pro-bendin’ scene and here to get down and dirty where the real action is! A real hotsy-totsy piece of work, ain’t he, gals? Go on, get yourself some giggle water and enjoy the show!”

Bolin raised his hands to the air and took in their cheers and jeers. The announcer let go of the microphone and pranced away from the center of the arena. “Always a pleasure, Chun.” Bolin said as she passed him by. She stopped in place with a wink, planting her hands at her sides and sticking her butt out. The Earthbender grinned and gave her a nice firm smack on the bum that sent her up in the air with a giggle. More than a few men in the crowd above booed at the rampant favoritism.

Little Min, for his own part, was solely focused on the fight. Bolin put his fists out straight and the other pit fighter met him in the center. Touching his own rock gloves against Bolin's knuckles, Min furrowed his brow and awaited the signal. They stared at each other for a while before the bell rang and Bolin immediately disengaged. Min came hard and fast, using his Earthbending for a brutal close-quarters style.

Despite his size, indeed quite prominently on display against an opponent like Little Min, Bolin was still quite agile. Incorporating a mix of the tight focus of pro-bending, the violence of his experience with the triple threat triad, and a particular panache favored among the pit fights’ attendees, 'Big Bendin' Bo' proved himself more a match for the younger fighter’s single-minded focus on agility. All he needed to do was trade hits. Not that those earth-gloves didn’t hurt! Bolin just had to lure him in, bend some earth up during the wind-up and hit him with it as he commits to the strike!

A hard earth-punch tenderized his side and Bolin knew he’d be sore for a while yet. Unfortunately for his opponent, it would take more than that to break his concentration. Little Min didn’t know what hit him. Of course... if he had to guess, it was probably a considerable amount of earth flying at him from his blind spot.

An avalanche of stone collided into the smaller fighter from the opposite side of where he had struck Bolin, the motion like a violent vortex of action. The crowd all held their breath in a gasp at the painful exchange- both fighters staggered off to the side... but where Little Min stumbled and fell with the wind knocked out of him, Bolin was able to stay standing.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he adopted a more traditional Earthbending stance just in case Min got up… but the bell rung him out and Little Min was disqualified. The smaller fighter groaned, still writhing on the floor until the earth disintegrated around his fists. Bolin went over and offered him a helping hand.

As the two handsome and unfortunately battered fighters stood in the center of the arena, Bolin did his best not to show how much the punch had hurt… he had one more match ahead of him, depending on the courage of the audience... Chun sauntered back to the center as the mic dropped from the ceiling again.

Putting a hand on each fighter’s hip, she spoke into the microphone with her usual cheery enthusiasm, “Gosh, that fight was nifty, huh, folks!? Ain’t no palookas here, give a round to these fine fightin' boys!”

Eager to oblige the lovely announcer, the crowd cheered and whistled with gusto. Chun whispered something into Little Min’s ear and he made his way out of the arena. She grabbed the mic with a wide smile, “Alright, sheiks and shebas! You know the deal. All you tough guys and janes are sittin’ pretty to take here a fistful of yuans if you can beat ol’ Bo here.”

There was a long silence...

She put her hand up over her brow to exaggeratedly search for a volunteer, scanning the stands before shouting, “What? Nunnya hip to the jive!? Aw, that's too bad-”

“I’ll take him on!" Korra shouted, planting her foot on the ledge of the pit and resting her hand on her hip. "I could use the exercise.” She was smiling wide, a fire gleaming in her bright blue eyes. The fire of competition…

She hopped down into the pit and strutted over to the pit where Chun excitedly declared, “We have a challenger! My, and what a dame! Them gams- them bubs! Bet she's not just a looker though! Gotta be more than that to take on a big six like Bo, eh? Give it up for-”

Chun thrust the microphone into Korra’s face and suddenly all the confidence trained from her face and she began to stammer, “Uh. Um. Ko-Ko-Kotomi.”

“Clammed up in the spotlight, huh, Kotomi?” Chun winked with a click of her tongue, “Give it up for our challenger Kotomi!”

The announcer wished Korra luck and sauntered off the arena. Bolin put his fists out again with a smile as he said, “This isn’t how I usually meet girls.”

Korra grinned as she touched her knuckles to his own. “First time for everything.”

“You’re pretty confident for a girl without any water.” Bolin playfully remarked.

“Who said I was a Waterbender?” Korra replied, lifting her eyebrows teasingly.

“Oh, I didn't mean to assume. 'Cause you, you know-” DING! The bell rang and Korra took a step back and thrust her elbow up while Bolin was busy stammering excuses. He dashed to the side as a column of earth erupted at his feet, just narrowly avoiding the surprise attack. 

With that much money on the line, he literally couldn't afford to take it easy on her. Bolin threw a punch towards her, bending part of the column back at the avatar. Korra ducked under it and stomped her foot again, pulling up a large boulder to throw at him.

The crowd watched with rapt attention at the display. Not only could this stranger hold her own against the reigning champion, she looked like she might even have a chance at beating him! Korra and Bolin were evenly matched as Earthbenders... but of course that was only one of her styles. While the avatar was laughing and smiling the whole time, Bolin was focused entirely on the task at hand. He had already been through a lot in the previous matches. They exchanged a few blows… and both of them could give as much as they could take.

Up above in the stands watching over the fight, a darker-skinned mobster in blue with long sideburns and a goatee stroked his chin and smiled, “The broad’s got some moves.” Viper admired to his companions in blue and red. A waitress next to him filled his cup with wine, “Hey, Ping.” he said to the scarred man on his left, “Go down and tell ‘em to call it a draw before it’s too late. I want that girl back here next week so we can take some bets on the rematch.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Two-toed ping nodded and made his way down the stands towards the organizers’ booth.

Korra was just having a grand time bending again for the first time in weeks. The rush of battle and competition! Pro-bending was too formal and soft her tastes, but this? This was what she lived for. Just when she started working up a sweat, the bell manically rang and she suddenly had to stop dead in her tracks. She let the earth she was bending disintegrate and fall to the ground.

“What the?” Korra furrowed her brow, “Oh, I had him!”

With a long sigh of relief, Bolin put his hand up to his side, the same one that Min had gotten him earlier with his rock glove... Chun awkwardly made her way back into the pit and announced, “Oh my, wow, what a bendin’ battle, huh!? Y’all dizzy with the dame yet?” She fanned herself and laughed nervously, “Um, well, that was just a taste for you macs! Now, uh, don’t get sore- we’ll be right back here next week with a… a stellar rematch! That’s right, you heard it here folks, come to Moon River to see C-Clam up Kotomi and Big Bendin’ Bo!”

She recoiled and shook her head, as if visibly hurt from the words coming out of her mouth, “Ooh, that name. Gotta work on that.”

Chun threw the mic out of her face and let the pulley drag it back up to the ceiling as a very confounded Korra blinked at her.

The announcer turned to the other woman with a smile, “So hey doll, your bendins the bee’s knees and the trouble boys upstairs see lotsa jack to be made if you come back next week and bend with the bimbo here-” She elbowed Bolin, “You jake, doll?”

“...W-what?” Korra asked, utterly at a loss.

Bolin, still catching his breath, answered her, “My boss... wants you to come back next week for a rematch. He… wants to put money on it.”

Korra looked between the two for a moment, thinking for a second… and then shrugging with a smile, “Sure. Why not?”

“Woof!” Chun laughed and slapped the air, “That’s a relief. Didn’t want to tell ol’ Viper you was trying to get a wiggle on. Them boys don’t know how to take no for an answer, ya follow?”

Chun clapped Korra’s bicep and excused herself to deliver the good news back to the triads, leaving Bolin and his new pit fighting companion standing in the center of an arena surrounded by an increasingly raucous crowd. They were a bit disappointed that the fight ended so inconclusively.

“This way.” Bolin nodded his head back to the entrance he came out from and ushered Korra to the locker room with him. Pabu, now awoke, perked up from his little bed. The fire ferret pranced around their feet.

“Hey, that was crazy…" Bolin said, "-and awesome, but- uh… who are you?”

Korra crossed her arms and smiled, “I’m new in town.”

“You’re... new in town.” Bolin quietly repeated.

“Hey, you got showers in here?” She asked, leaning to the side and trying to look past his shoulder. Aside from perspiring under the bright lights and the excitement of battle, she may have smelled a bit like the Yue Bay…

“Yeah.” He absentmindedly replied, “Just right over ther- ooooh, you’re getting naked.”

She was already throwing off her top as Bolin was in the middle of speaking. He turned away from her and cleared his throat as she undressed. The fire ferret curiously stood on his hindlegs and Bolin whispered, "Hey buddy, gimme some space, alright?"

Pabu snickered and chased his tail for a moment before darting off in the opposite direction.

“Sooo, uh, not that I’m complaining or anything but-" Bolin said louder to project his voice into the showers behind him, "-are you from some kinda Earth Kingdom… nudist amazon tribe I don’t know about or something?”

Korra laughed as she turned the valve and tested the spray of water with her hand, “I thought you were a ladies man, Bo.”

“Just Bolin’s fine.” He said, looking up at the ceiling so that he wouldn't be tempted to peek behind him, “-and that’s just my act. I’m really a hopeless romantic.”

“That’s a shame.” Korra casually quipped as she stepped underneath the deluge of water and let it wash over her face.

“Or I can be a ladies man too.” Bolin quickly corrected, his voice trailing off.

“I'm not really looking for anything serious right now.” Korra ran her fingers through her hair as rivulets of water trickled down her muscular form, “I don’t know how long I’ll be in Republic City. Could be gone tomorrow for all I know.”

“So… something casual then?” The Earthbender timidly suggested.

Korra closed her eyes and smiled, “Something like that.”

Bolin perked up with a smile as she turned her back to him and started washing her front.

“So why don’t you come in?” She asked over her shoulder. He was at a loss for words… things had never gone this well before!

The Earthbender didn’t need to be told twice though! His shorts came off easily enough, but he started to struggle with the wrappings on his hands and feet. He got increasingly impatient until he finally threw them off and poked his head in the shower at first.

Korra was standing towards the wall in front of the showerhead washing over her. His eyes rolled up from her thick thighs, firm butt and slender waist up to her defined shoulder blades and biceps and all the way to the hair clinging to her neck. She looked over her shoulder at him with a lurid smile, her own gaze travelling top to bottom.

He had a boyish face, softer than she'd expect from a supposed pit fighter, but with broad shoulders and a strong physique that was more bulk than tone- it was nice practical muscle and not just for show. Not much hair on him at all either. When her gaze drifted down to his package, she couldn’t help but bite her lip. Already hard and quite big, it seemed like ‘Big Bendin’ Bo’ lived up to his stage name. 

Bolin stepped into the shower before her with a somewhat giddy smile as she turned around to meet him. However much he liked the back, the front made his jaw drop. That sultry smile, those azure eyes! The way the water ran down those firm rounded breasts punctuated by those dark nipples... and her sex obscured by the small tuft of black hair.

“You know, I figured I had to do something to make it up to you.” Korra said with a grin as she stepped away from the showerhead and got right up in his face, "-for beating you."

“You didn’t beat m-oooh yeah.” Bolin quickly changed his tune midcourse when he realized what she meant. The avatar leaned in and kissed him on the jaw, then the neck. He tilted his head to meet her but she pulled away. “Not on the lips.” She whispered before returning her affections back to his throat and shoulders. Though momentarily confused, Bolin respected her boundaries... his own hands wandered over her body, strong fingers clutching hard at one of her soft cheeks.

She held his waist in her hands as her kisses descended down his body, until soon Korra had lowered herself onto her knees and came face to… face with one very hard cock. The avatar had even inadvertently rubbed her cheek against it when she was planting a kiss on his abdomen. It sprang right back into place, stiff and unyielding. Bolin blew the air out of his lungs and pulled his lips into his mouth in anticipation.

Korra teased him at first, holding his thick cock in her hand and wrapping her lips around it from the side. Like playing a flute, she ran her whole head up and down his length. Her other hand cupped his balls and she licked at the base of his shaft, rolling her tongue up him until her lips met around his tip in a kiss.

“Ooh.” He furrowed his brow and awkwardly hovered his hands over her head. Bolin wasn’t sure what to do with them so he eventually just settled on resting them upon his hips. Korra started to take more of him into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down with wet slurping noises.

She looked up at him with half his cock in her mouth and went, “Mmhm?”

Bolin looked down at her perfect blue eyes and moaned, “Oh, it's... it’s good! Really good.”

Somehow, she smiled back at him with her eyes alone. Korra went deeper, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she sucked in more and more of him. She rubbed his balls in her palm and wrapped her fingers around his base, urging him towards her. Bolin stumbled a bit and craned his head back in ecstacy.

She started to pick up the pace, taking more and more of him between her soft lips. Closing his eyes, Bolin could still hear her soft pleasured moans and the slurps and wet smacks of her work ringing out against the steady drone of the shower. Korra could feel him twitching. She could feel his manhood fighting against her tongue. The Earthbender groaned and ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her way and balling it in his fist. Other than take over for himself, it was the only thing he could do to deal with this kind of sensory overload.

"K-Ko-” He managed to say through grit teeth and a wince, “I’m gonna…”

She hummed in interest and didn’t relent for a second. The avatar only went at it harder and faster, bobbing her head up and down on that thick cock until her nose pressed against his groin. She reached around his waist and clutched hard at one of his cheeks, making his whole body tense up. Korra’s breasts swayed with each and every rhythmic bob of her head.

The woman pulled back when she started to feel it coursing through his length. Korra leaned back and pumped his cock hard in her fist, pulling from his whole body all the virile essence a man had to offer. She closed her eyes and opened wide, the tip of her tongue rubbing against his sensitive head as Bolin started to climax.

The water was hot… but it was nothing compared to the deluge of cum that poured over her. She softly moaned as hot streams of white shot across her face. The thick spurts expressing his pleasure heaped across Korra’s forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, and chin. A strand dripped down from her nose and onto the top of her upper lip, breaking onto her tongue. The water mixed in with the hot cum and slid down her slender throat. It dripped upon her breasts, coalescing at her firm nipples.

As Bolin’s moans died down and his orgasm receded, Korra was left with a contentedness in the thrill that she had so easily pulled so much out from the man. Just as she could bring a man to his knees with her martial prowess and indomitable bending, so too could the avatar visit upon a body such pleasures and satisfactions incomparable to anyone else.

With a groan of exertion, Bolin practically fell on his ass. Completely drained, he looked up at her with disbelief as she sat there on her knees.

“Hanging in there, big guy?” She asked with a smile, the mixture of cum and hot water dripping down her face and framing her keen blue eyes… Bolin fell onto his back and laid on the floor with a happy sigh. Korra laughed as she leaned over and patted his thigh, “Hey, you’re not done yet!”

He looked up into the ceiling tiles with wide-eyes as she started to pump her hand over his wet cock anew.


	3. The Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Azusa investigates more... intimately into the financial backers of the Equalist movement, Korra continues to vent steam and train her other elements at the Moon River underground fighting arena against Bolin. Unfortunately, they're all about to get caught between the anti-bending Revolutionaries and the mysterious new 'Avatar' Xian.

A glass of wine tipped over off a night stand and hit the floor, spilling its contents across a luxurious carpet.

“Oh crap.” A woman’s voice called out.

“Mmph.” Azusa replied, muffled and breathy, “I’ll reimburse you.”

The Fire Nation Princess pulled her head out from between a pair of legs, a trail of spittle connecting her lips to the womanhood before her.

“That’s not it.” Her partner muttered. Azusa put her index finger right on the other woman’s clit with a mischievous smile, “Ah! Stop it!”

The Princess grinned and sat up, “What? Afraid your dad will find out about us?”

“Well…”

Azusa crawled up the other woman’s body, lithesome and fair. Their naked bodies were entwined together in the purest expression of feminine grace and beauty. The Princess kissed her lover and drew back, her golden eyes locking onto her partner’s own emerald gaze.

“Oh, miss Sato.” Azusa cooed, narrowing her eyes upon Asami, “If everything I’ve heard about Hiroshi Sato is correct, than I’d wager he’d be absolutely thrilled to learn his daughter was sleeping with the future Fire lord.”

“It’s not always about the money with him.” The industrialist huffed, looking off to the side.

“Mmmm.” Azusa brushed her lover’s hair out of her face, “-and it’s not always about sex with me.”

“Could have fooled me.” Asami replied, her eyes darting the opposite way, “Ooh!”

The Princess was wriggling her fingers inside of the other woman’s pussy, rubbing the pads of her fingertips up on the girl’s g-spot in a ‘come hither’ fashion.

Asami bit her lip, “Business then?”

“Mmm.” Azusa nodded, “Yeah.”

The woman tossed her head to the side, silky black hair resting upon the soft pillows, “Go on.”

“With my hands or my mouth?” The amber-eyed woman asked.

“Both.” Asami pleaded.

“Well then…” The Princess began, her ministrations sending shivers down the heiress’ spine, “Let’s talk about my missing shipments.”

“Ooooagh, this again?” The woman closed her eyes, half a groan and half a moan, “I thought they arrested the Cabbage guy.”

Azusa started fingering her harder, working her hand until her palm kissed the woman’s clit with each thrust, “I don’t mean to alarm you, Miss Sato… but I think someone in your company’s been stealing from us both.”

“Unnh..” Asami closed her eyes and curled her toes, digging them into the bedsheets, “Someone… huhhh… on the inside?”

“Uh huh.” Azusa grinned, feeling her lover’s pussy clenching on her, spasming just on the verge of orgasm, “Promise me we’ll look into it.”

“Don’t stop.” The heiress begged, “Please.”

“Promise?” The Princess giggled, her thumb idly rubbing over Asami’s clit.

“I promise!” Asami moaned as her fingers clawed at the sheets.

“Good girl.” The amber-eyed woman cooed, finger-fucking the other woman until she was gibbering and cumming, breasts heaving, body convulsing, eyes rolling into the back of her head…

An hour later and Asami and Azusa were dressed again, taking their ‘business’ over to an office in the Sato estate. The Princess was sitting down at a desk with a pair of reading glasses, carefully looking over some documents. The Industrialist was brushing her hair and applying her makeup behind her.

“Find anything?” Asami asked, sucking in her cherry red lips as she looked into a small hand mirror.

“Maybe…” Azusa tapped her lips, “Say… you have a shipment leaving the harbor tonight?”

The Princess shuffled some papers about, producing another document that she hounded over, “This itinerary says you don’t.”

“Huh?” Asami snapped her pocket mirror shut and walked over to lean across Azusa’s shoulder and take a look for herself, “That’s from two weeks ago. Maybe the schedule was changed.”

“Maybe…” Azusa stroked her chin, “Miss Sato, would you care to go with me for a walk?”

Asami sighed, “You… can call me by my name, you know.”

The Princess leaned back, “Asami… I like you. I really do. But I thought we agreed to keep things… casual. My brother’s devoted himself to the Republic. I have no other siblings. I am expected to continue the family line.”

The other woman turned away from Azusa and held herself by the office’s fireplace.

“If you’re… developing feelings-” The firebender said, “-then perhaps we shouldn’t keep doing this. As a valuable business partner and as a friend, I-”

“Please.” Asami interrupted with a sigh, marching over to a chair and swinging a jacket off from it, “Let’s just go to the docks.”

“How romantic.” Azusa cooed.

“If you’re right-” The heiress said, “-and there’s someone on the inside stealing from Future Industries, I want to find him.”

“Excellent.” The firebender smiled and stood up with a clap, “You can drive.”

**************************

A week had passed since Korra made her debut in the basement of Moon River, fighting their champion bender Bolin to a standstill before the mafiosos cut it short. They wanted word to spread about this new fighter- this girl ‘Kotomi’.

Flyers were printed and pedestrians harassed until the arena broke a record in ticket sales. All the head honchos of the Triple Threat Triad would be there too. They all said she was a beauty, all right- and a damn hell of an earthbender. She had to be if she could give Bolin a run for his money.

Lightning Bolt Zolt was there, watching from the best seat in the house, surrounded by his goons. An attractive waitress doted upon his every need…

Chun was riling up the crowd in her hot little number, strutting about in the arena before either of the fighters showed themselves.

“So… Kotomi.” Bolin smiled, wrapping his knuckles in some tape, “You wanna grab a bite to eat after this, or…?”

Korra laughed as she pulled a top on over her naked body, covering her breasts and leaving her midriff, tight abs and all, exposed,“You asking me out on a date or something? C’mon, Bolin, I’ve sucked you off-”

“I know, I know.” He raised his hands up defensively, “You said nothing serious. You said that you could be gone tomorrow… but that was a week ago.”

“How bout this?” The woman said, strutting out into the arena, “You beat me tonight and I’ll do more than just go down on you.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant!” He protested… but she was already leaving. Bolin sighed and ran out after her.

“Ladies and gentleman!” Chun bellowed to the crowd, who were whistling and cat-calling as the foxy woman walked around with a microphone in hand, “The moment you’ve all been waiting for!”

Korra and Bolin moved around to her sides, taking their assigned positions in the center of the arena as Chun continued to stir up excitement, “The much-anticipated rematch between Big Bendin’ Bo and our hot new number… Clam up Kotomi!”

The announcer chuckled, “Golly, what a fetching pair these two are, huh, huh? What I’d give to have ‘em bend me, you know what I’m saying!?”

The crowd of mostly men jeered and hollered as Chun basked in their attention, “I want a nice and clean scrap. No shim shams! Three rounds, thirty seconds each! Judges decision or knock-out. Understood?”

Bolin and Korra both nodded before assuming their fighting stances.

Chun giggled and made herself scarce, prancing away to the edge of the arena. A pulley carried the microphone up to the rafters.

Korra narrowed her blue eyes. Bolin cracked and smile…

DING!

...BOOM!

A series of explosions flooded the Moon River arena in smoke. The dust turned everything black and Korra couldn’t see an inch in front of her face. There was shouting and screaming everywhere.

If the dust was this thick… no one would see her using what little airbending she had at her disposal. She just needed to be able to see!

“Kotomi!” Bolin shouted through the chaos, but his cries were interrupted by a hacking cough. He shielded his eyes as a sudden gust of wind blew and dispersed the smoke completely.

“I can’t tell what’s going on…” Korra spat between grit teeth. With a stomp and a punch into the air, she catapulted herself out of the arena with earthbending, propelling herself up into the stands.

Up at the top of the arena, some well dressed men were being punched by masked assailants. If they were benders, they couldn’t even get a single attack off before the attackers dispatched them, throwing them over some of the stands.

The masked men and women… they attacked so quickly! Their hands were a blur! They wore black and deep gold, with some gas masks. Who were they? White Lotus Assassins?

“Hey!” Korra shouted, “Let them go!”

She announced her presence, and an Equalist at her side whirled and threw a bola at her. Korra ducked underneath it… and then realized another attacker was behind her. “C-chi blockers?” She muttered under her breath with wide eyes, seeing how the masked woman behind her was attacking with two fingers.

Zaheer’s hand to hand combat training was without equal. Even though he wasn’t a bender, he taught her how to fight when things got too close for it. She seized the woman’s wrist and braced her elbow, kicking the Equalist right in the gut and causing her to crumple over.

Another came at her and Korra blocked their efforts to disrupt her Chi. Suddenly, the second Equalist backed off just as she anticipated him to follow up… and a surge of electricity ran through her whole body. “Gggghhhhhhh!!”

Korra’s muscles seized and she spasmed, falling forward onto a seat. She clutched at a railing for support… and a dozen pokes along her spine and muscles sealed her Chi and paralyzed her. The avatar fell forward.

“Take this one too.” A man with a mustache and two smoking rods said.

As Korra was dragged by her legs and heaped up onto the shoulder of an Equalist, Bolin just got up onto the stands, “Kotomi!”

He clenched his fists… there were still too many people to earth bend around! And he was so far! He shouted again, and the mustached lieutenant turned to regard him.

“Let’s go.” The Equalist said… and they started running for the exits. Bolin gave chase, but the crowd of fleeing bystanders got in his way.

“Kotomi!” He shouted again, finally breaking free from the panicked customers… only to see that the arena hall was empty and the Equalists were gone.

**************************

“We’re too late.” Asami sighed as she and the princess walked through a deserted dockyard in the middle of the night, “Not that I was particularly thrilled about holding up one of my father’s shipments and interrogating his employees.”

“Yeah…” Azusa crossed her arms, looking over the scene, “They left ahead of schedule too.”

The heiress looked over at the firebender, lost in thought.

“Hold on.” Asami said, “Look at that crane.”

Their eyes followed the structure up to the moonlit sky, “It’s hanging by the road. After unloading the shipment, they’re supposed to swing it under the hanger in case it rains.”

“So maybe they forgot.” Azusa shrugged.

“If they forgot to move it, then they’d have left it over the water, right?” The industrialist pointed out to the harbor for emphasis, “But instead… it’s by the road.”

“We just missed them!” The princess snapped her fingers in frustration, blue sparks shooting out from her fist, “The shipments are being intercepted before they can even leave Republic City.”

“But then where are they going?” Asami furrowed her immaculate brows…

The two stood in contemplation… until the sound of a gate opening and a truck pulling up caught their attention. Azusa and Asami ducked out of sight, hiding behind the corner of a warehouse as the Satomobile rolled into the lot.

The driver was a working class man, wearing overalls, thick boots, and a cap. After he parked the truck, he got out of the vehicle and took one look at the crane. “Again?” He groused aloud, “I keep telling them to put it back under the hanger…”

Azusa stepped out of the shadows, and Asami reached out for her… but she was too fast.

“What are you going to do?” The heiress asked in a nervous whisper.

“Squeeze him for information, of course.” Azusa replied, not taking her eyes off her objective as she walked. Her fists were clenched tight, knuckles whitening from the exertion…

“Hey, that’s one of my dad’s employees!” Asami protested as they rounded the corner of the truck and came face to face with the man himself.

“M-Miss Sato!” He stammered.

Azusa suddenly grabbed his collar and raised her hand behind her- blue flames licking at her palm and fingertips.

“Azusa!” The other woman shouted, “What are you-”

“I don’t know anything, I swear!” The driver said, putting his hands up defensively.

“You just moved some cargo for the anti-benders, didn’t you?” Azusa narrowed her eyes, flames intensifying in her hand, “The Equalists- they want to kill us! Where did you take that equipment!”

Asami frowned... 

“Amon doesn’t want to kill anyone!” The man said, nearly bawling, “He says he doesn’t have to! I don’t know how… but… there’s going to be a rally tonight! He said he was going to explain everything there- I was told to bring the shipment over there in preparation for it!”

“Where?” Azusa narrowed her orange eyes.

The man produced a leaflet out of his pocket and Asami snatched it from his fingers.

“Witness the Revelation.” The heiress read aloud, “Tonight, nine o' clock.”

**************************

“Unnnhhh.” Korra groggily came to in a dark room. Her azure eyes widened and she tried to stand, but her ankles were tied together. She tried to move her arms, but they were tied together as well.

Her first instinct was to breathe fire so she screamed… but nothing came out.

She shook her head. That was stupid of her… if any of the spectators from before saw her firebending, then she would have just shown them that she was really the avatar…

The woman took a measure of her surroundings. A number of gangster-looking types were with her, tied up as well. The Triple Threat Triads ran Moon River… and while she had no love for the mafia, her lot had been thrown in with him. The Equalists were all over them too, glowering threateningly from behind...

Korra closed her eyes… She felt so stupid. All her life she’d be running, keeping her identity secret. The White Lotus was everywhere… but instead of them, she got caught by these ‘Equalists’ of all people. How could normal people fight the avatar? It was… ridiculous.

No, it wasn’t. Zaheer wasn’t a bender. He didn’t use chi blocking, sure, but with his grappling techniques and bone breaks, he could fight toe to toe with anyone.

It took time for Chi blocking to wear off… Korra just needed to bide her time and wait. When she got her bending back, she swore she wasn’t going to let them get the drop on her again.

“Please welcome your hero,” A muffled voice from in front of her announced, “Your savior, Amon!”

Korra and the rest of the prisoners were backstage at some kind of rally. She could hear the crowd cheering beyond the wall in front of her. No… it wasn’t a wall. They were curtains. The glow of spotlights crept out from under them.

“My quest for equality began many years ago.” A voice echoed from beyond the veil, “When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets-”

“What is this, some kind of execution?” An older man groused as he struggled in his confines. He had silver hair at his temples and the look of a proper mobster.

“No.” A woman in a mask said behind him, “Amon intends to equalize you.”

“Equalize this, tuts!” Lightning Bolt Zolt said as he waved his bound hands suggestively.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Korra asked, getting up onto her knees. A pair of hands rested on her shoulders and an Equalist leaned in close, nearly whispering in her ears.

“Stay calm. Amon doesn’t know you’re the avatar.”

Korra’s eyes widened.

“Help is on the way.” The masked man said. His voice was… young. Reassuring, in a sense. “I’ll try to buy us as much time as I can.”

Before she could reply, he removed his hands and stepped away from her. She looked over her shoulder… in the mask, he looked like any other Equalist. He quickly resumed the role of the unaffected guard dog.

Was he… Red Lotus? That was the only explanation. Korra shook her head, trying to center herself in the swarm of thoughts.

“That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance.” Amon declared from the stage in front of them, “They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently.”

“What!?” Korra looked on in horror as the curtains were drawn and she was bathed in spotlights and hateful stares.

**************************

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?” Azusa asked, standing beside Asami in front of the latter’s luxury Satomobile.

“This is police business.” Chief Beifong said, putting on her armor as officers behind her grappled up onto the rooftops and made a stealthy approach to the rally building, “I appreciate the tip off, your highness-” Lin Beifong hated saying those two words, “-but metal benders are trained for this kind of work. Firebending’s a bit too… volatile.”

Asami looked away.

“I took a peek up there on the roof.” The princess pointed with two fingers together to the sky, “There’s a LOT of Equalists in there. Several hundred members in the crowd too.”

“We can handle ourselves.” Lin said with an increasingly irate intonation.

“Of course.” Azusa smiled politely, “But… on this short notice, well, a lot of them are going to get away. Benders or non-benders, your officers are outnumbered ten to one.”

“The only one we need to catch is the ringleader.” The chief said, putting on her bracers and completing the ensemble, “Now, if you would excuse me… I have a job to do.”

Azusa sighed and leaned back, resting her hands upon Asami’s car. She looked over at the woman herself, who shrugged with a ‘What can you do?’ kind of apathy.

 

**************************

 

“Wha ... what did you do to me?” Lightning Bolt Zolt looked up into the blinding lights on his knees.

A man in a mask and a hood loomed over him, his features obscured in porcelain and shadow.

“Your firebending is gone. Forever.” Amon declared, “The era of bending is over. A new era of Equality has begun!”

The crowd erupted into a raucous applause as the next victim was dragged out of the line. Korra’s ‘friend’ had maneuvered her into the last place in the line…

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A man who could take away bending… forever? It was impossible. It was… terrifying. Bending was all she had. Going from place to place, never having a home or someone to love. Her family was taken from her… all she had was being the avatar, and the duty to avenge herself… and restore balance.

How could she live without bending?

“If it gets dicey…” The ‘Equalist’ behind her whispered, “I’ll unblock your Chi and you can make a go of it. Don’t fight Amon- just escape. Our comrades will be here any minute.”

“Y-yeah.” Korra nodded, stuffing deep down all those fears and anxieties. Whatever Amon was… whatever he represented, she couldn’t succumb to the fear.

The next gangster in line was robbed of his bending and left writhing on the floor.

“Careful.” The Equalist behind her muttered, “I have a knife back here. I’m going to cut you free.”

After Two-Toed Ping was dragged away, Amon turned to an earthbender besides Korra. Then he looked at her… he hesitated for a moment, and then pointed straight at her.

“That one.” He coldly declared.

Korra was ushered to her feet and marched out into the stage…

“Get ready.” The voice behind her whispered.

She came face to face with the masked man, just a few paces away… she could see a coldness in his eyes beneath that featureless visage.

Suddenly, a siren blared from overhead. Amon looked up as metal bending police officers came whipping out onto the scaffolding where the lights were.

“This is the police!” Lin Beifong’s voice bellowed out over a megaphone, “You are surrounded. Put down your weapons, release the hostages, and exit the building with your hands in the air.”

“What the?” Korra’s ‘friend’ mumbled behind her back, “This isn’t…”

“Brothers and sisters!” Amon declared, turning away from the avatar and back to the assembled crowd, “Now you see plainly the divide between us! The police have come to the rescue of these… criminals. For years, they have run rampant over us and the metal benders have done nothing! They have always been united in our oppression! There is no justice for us without equality! And there will be no equality… without struggle!”

A bottle flung from the crowd and hit the scaffolding just shy of a metal bender’s foot. Amon’s lieutenant drew his kali sticks and electrified them. The rest of the Equalists all started whirling their bolas or readying themselves to fight with the police.

“Alright then.” Chief Beifong’s voice huffed, “Suit yourself. Round ‘em up!”

The lights suddenly shut off and the warehouse was thrown into a panic. Shouts and screams where everywhere as the metal benders descended, shooting their wires out at the Equalists. Korra felt a number of taps on her spine and lower back, along the points of her chakras.

She got to her feet, reinvigorated… and saw Amon turning to leave.

Korra narrowed her eyes, breathing hard.

Fight or flight…

Her would-be rescuer said that she should just go… run away. The police weren’t an option, not while she still had to learn airbending from Tenzin. Fighting was breaking out all around her, but it was hard to tell what was going on in this darkness. Some of the crowd had stormed the stage to try and help the masked Equalists fight off the cops.

It was a mess… but she saw Amon retreating back stage and down some stairs. Fight or flight…

She always fought.

Korra dashed forward, chasing after him. Her ‘friend’ in the Equalists saw her running and tried to stop her but a metal bender dropped down between them. He put his arms up and was immediately wrapped up in steel cables.

In the basement of the rally building, Amon, his lieutenant, and a few equalists were making a hasty retreat through a series of tunnels.

“Hey!” Korra said, fists clenched, “Going somewhere?”

This was the perfect place to fight them, she thought… a narrow corridor with no blind spots. She could take them all one at a time. The floor was concrete- tougher to earth bend but not impossible. All around the corridor were steam pipes so water was somewhere… but of course, firebending was all she needed. Perfect.

The Lieutenant turned to face her but Amon clasped him on the shoulder… and let his underlings take her on. They left as two Equalists charged at Korra.

She blasted them each with a punch of fire, throwing them into the walls all singed and dazed. It was long enough a distraction to put some distance between her and the so-called ‘saviour’ of Republic City.

Amon and the Lieutenant emerged with one remaining underling out the back door of the rally building… and found themselves surrounded.

Not by metal benders… but by the White Lotus.

Avatar Xian stood at the head of them, an older man in pale robes with short cropped white hair. There were nine of them in all. They walked forward in a protective formation in front of their leader.

“I’ll take the four on the left.” Amon said, “-and the leader, if he makes a move.”

“I’ll take the three in the middle.” The Lieutenant added.

The Equalist henchman, with only one real option left, shrugged and focused his attention on the last remaining white lotus.

The three of them split up and engaged their targets. Amon waded through fire, earth, and water with the grace of a dancer. In one fluid motion, he ducked under a firebender’s roundhouse and took away her bending.

The Lieutenant hopped over some hurtling earth and electrocuted its bender. The Equalist henchman was skilled as well, though not nearly as efficient as his superiors. Xian watched them at work, seemingly indifferent to his people’s struggling.

Amon got a hold of another White Lotus and was about to remove his bending when a precise blast of blue fire came rocketing at him. He broke away from the other man and dodged backwards.

“Looked like you needed some help!” Azusa called out, hopping on her feet and flicking her nose, “Funny seeing White Lotus around here, though...”

Korra came out the back of the building and was ready to attack when she suddenly saw all of them… the White Lotus. Those… murderers. Her parents’ killers. Her attempted kidnappers! What were they doing here? Why were they here!? If the Equalists weren’t bad enough… why did THEY have to be here!?

Her fists tightened, her teeth gnashed... 

Xian didn’t even blink, staring hard at Korra. His grey eyes burrowed deep into her sole. Amon looked between the two, wary of the sudden development. His lieutenant and the other Equalist struggled just to hold their own.

Metal benders came down from the building’s rooftops on their cables. One of them shot their steel at the Lieutenant, who wrapped his stick around the cables and electrified the officer tethered to it.

“Amon!” He cried out, “I’ll hold them off!”

“Leave the equalists to the police.” Xian commanded, “She’s the one you’re looking for.”

“Wait- what?” Azusa furrowed her impeccable brows and grit her teeth.

As the officers engaged with the Equalists, the White Lotus threw themselves at Korra. She screamed and hurled great bands of fire, lashing and whipping at them all. She was rage personified, letting loose in an inferno that kept them all at bay.

“I’m… I’m gonna kill you!” She spat.

A cable wrapped around her wrist. Korra looked behind her, eyeing the cop who was bending it. She bent her arm and pulled him towards her. “H-hey!” The officer cried out, “W-why are you fighting!?”

“Rrrraaghh!” Korra punched a blast of flame at him and knocked him down, the cables unwinding from her arm. She had to duck under some water bending just a moment later.

‘Wait a minute…’ Azusa blinked, ruminating to herself, ‘I’ve seen her before… but where? -and what does Avatar Xian want with her?’

The Lieutenant fell to the ground as a cable wrapped around his ankle and pulled his weight out from under him. Amon knocked an officer to the floor and looked out at his subordinate through the chaos. The metal benders, the white lotus, the fire nation princess, whoever that woman was… the situation was spiralling out of control.

“Kotomi!” Bolin cried out, throwing a boulder in the middle of the melee, “C’mon!”

His voice shocked the avatar out of her rage… 

Fight or flight. There were too many people now. People she didn’t know… or people she knew to be wary of. The Equalists, who wanted to rid the world of bending. The White Lotus, who wanted to steal her power as the Avatar. The police who didn’t understand anything and that princess who was the embodiment of everything the Red Lotus stood against!

The only thing familiar… was him.

Bolin was the only modicum of safety she could find in the situation. With a wide roundhouse, Korra whipped a circle of flame around her and propelled herself towards him with a jet of fire out from her soles. He summoned up a wall of earth behind her and together they left the scene, dashing down the street away from the chaos of the rally and the police raid.

They came out to a car parked by the curb and Bolin jumped inside and started the engine. Korra threw herself into the backseat just as he took off, tires squealing all the way down the street.

“You have a car!?” Korra asked, her head popping out from behind the seat.

“You have a… uh… fire bending?” Bolin asked, nervously looking back through the rearview mirror.

The avatar sighed and closed her eyes, slumping back into the seat.

“I, uh, have a place we can go.” He said, focusing on the road ahead of him, “Triads took me in after we lost our water bender...”

“Your water bender?” She asked, crossing her arms over the passenger side seat.

“Yeah, I was a pro bender- wait, hey! Can we talk about your fire bending!?” Bolin clenched his fingers around the steering wheel.

“Well… I’m the avatar.” Korra sheepishly replied.

**************************

“Who are you?” Lin Beifong cocked her head dismissively at Avatar Xian.

One of the White Lotus warriors was looking at his trembling hands, in shock after having lost his bending. He looked over at the older man, “Xian… Y-you can bring it back, right?”

The ‘avatar’ walked over to him, ignoring one very irate Lin Beifong. He knelt down and put his hands on the shoulders of the White Lotus guard, “I’m afraid not. She could, though...”

They were standing outside the building, in a makeshift holding pen for all the Equalists they captured. Mostly militant spectators. They caught only a few chi blockers… and the lieutenant. Unfortunately, they failed to get the one Equalist that mattered- Amon.

Chief Beifong sighed and looked over at Azusa, “Do I have you to thank for getting these White Lotus weirdos involved?”

The Princess shook her head, “No… I don’t know why they’re here.”

Lin massaged the bridge of her nose, “Nothing would please me more than to lock up the whole lot of you. Vigilantism and ancient orders. Princesses interfering with police business!”

Azusa laughed and presented her wrists for a pair of handcuffs… but Lin waved her off with a groan. She had work to do.

**************************

 

Bolin opened the door to his apartment, flooding it with light from the hallway. He flipped the switch on and rubbed his neck.

“It’s nothing fancy but…” He started to say before Korra grabbed his wrists and kissed him, pushing him up against the wall. Her eyes were already closed, so he followed suite and wrapped his arms around her as the door swung closed.

Finally, when their lips parted, he asked, “Thought you didn’t… want to kiss on the lips.”

Korra mischievously smiled and turned away from him, rubbing her face as she walked out into the center of the modest apartment room, “I owe you one. I mean, I probably could have gotten out of there on my own.” She shot him a cocky smile, “But I guess I just needed… to hear your voice or something.”

Bolin rubbed his neck as he chased after her, “Yeah, well, I’m flattered and all but I thought you said this would just be casual, so, uh…”

Korra pulled out a chair from what amounted to his dining table and sat down, “I said that to protect you. Well, to protect us both.”

“Right, cause… you’re the avatar.” Bolin scratched the back of his head, “Hey, so I guess you got away from those… Red Lotus guys at some point?”

“Well…” Bolin nervously looked around the room, “It’s just- they kidnapped you, right? The newspapers wouldn’t stop talking about it for years and years until… well, everyone said you were probably… you know.”

“Ugh.” Korra let her head sink backwards off the chair, “That’s the story they came up? Bolin, you shouldn’t trust anything the government says.”

“T-the government?” He nervously asked.

“All of them.” The avatar stood up and put her hands on her hips.

“So, uh… I’m guessing we won’t be meeting at Moon River again anytime soon.” Bolin shrugged, “Between those Equalist guys and the cops and… those guys after you-”

“Yeah.” She muttered, her blue eyes drifting down to the floor, “Hopefully I can still get back to Air Temple Island.”

“Well…” Bolin smiled and waggled his eyebrows, “If you ever need a place to lay low, you’ve got my address.”

Korra smiled and bit her lip, “Y’know… that’s twice now that our fights have been interrupted.”

“Oh, yeah.” He nervously laughed and rubbed his hair.

“I’m thinking…” Korra bashfully averted her gaze and smiled, “That maybe you deserve more than just a kiss. C’mon, Bo… where do you keep the bed around here?”

“Uh.” He blinked, “Right thatta-way.”

She jerked her head over to the other room and sauntered in.

“Oh geez.” Bolin started smoothing his hair back and popping his collar. He hopped on one foot, awkwardly trying to remove the shoe on his other foot, “Oh geez, oh geez.”

Korra marched into the room and threw her top off, revealing to her gracious host a set of perfectly honed back muscles- thick biceps and broad shoulders. Just as he turned the lights on, she spun around and put her hands on her hips.

“Whew.” The man shook his head, staring at her breasts and her abs… her dark skin and cocky blue eyes. He kicked his other shoe off and scrambled to get his own shirt off.

She found him quite pleasing to the eye as well. He had a certain… boyish charm to him- but that body was all man. Bolin just exuded strength! He was an earthbender through and through. A mountain personified… one she was determined to climb.

As soon as Bolin got near, she flipped him around and threw him onto the bed. Korra swung a leg over him and straddled the earthbender. Her hands ran over his chest and to his own abs, but his eyes were fixated on her face… and occasionally, her buxom chest.

She slipped her fingers under the hem of his pants and pulled them down hard, underwear and all around his knees. Korra cupped his balls and his cock, massaging the warm and weighty thing. The avatar slipped his manhood into her mouth, wrapping her lips around him… and feeling him grow.

Bolin moaned, throwing his head back as she sucked and licked and kissed at his cock. Her tongue ran up his thick veins, coursing with desire and need. When his cock was hard enough, she sucked his balls and pumped her fist over his length.

“Ko-Kotomi… or, uh, it’s Korra now, huh?” Bolin’s eyes suddenly widened, “Oh my gosh, uhhh…”

“Huh?” Korra blinked her eyes, looking up at him.

“The avatar… THE avatar-” He put both his hands up to his head, “-is… giving me…”

“A blowjob.” Korra interrupted, stroking him with a smile.

“Omagash.” He covered his face as she rolled her tongue around his head.

After he was sufficiently aroused for her liking, Korra sat up and slipped her fingers into her shorts, fingering herself as she jerked him off. She was quite plenty aroused already… just watching him there, looking all handsome and helpless. The woman was quite tempted to get him off like this, to tease and torture him. 

But a promise was a promise…

She sat down and pulled her shorts off, whipping them off with a kick and pouncing back onto the bed atop Bolin. With a bit of a shimmy and a scooch, she angled herself just above him. Korra’s sex was adorned by a small dark patch of hair over her clit. She spread her dark brown lips, exposing the pink inner folds of her pussy… and sat down on Bolin, filling herself.

Korra grit her teeth, wincing a little bit as she took every inch of his cock, soaking it until she kissed his groin with her clit.

“At-t-t-t-tight!” Bolin winced, reaching out and gripping her by the thighs.

“Is it too much for ya, big guy?” Korra cooed, waggling her eyebrows.

She planted her hands on his stomach and started rolling her hips, grinding their bodies together. Korra bit her lip and looked up into the ceiling, squeezing her breasts together between her biceps as she went.

Bolin looked up to see those perfect breasts just sitting there… he reached up and kneaded them between his palms. They… were the softest part of her body, no doubt. Korra’s rolling hips turned into rocking… and then bouncing. Up and down she went, her pussy like a vicegrip on his cock.

“Oh… oh geez.” Bolin grit his teeth, “This is… this is crazy.”

Korra stiffened her back and brought her fists up to her sides, as if to stabilize herself in the air. She bounced and bounced, wholly consuming his thick cock. Her tight abs flexed with the exertion, “You’re gonna… tell me when you’re about to… cum, right?”

“Y-yeah!” Bolin said, shutting his eyes tight.

She untied her bushy ponytail and shook her head, “You, uh, got this?”

“Yeah.” He managed to say.

Korra laughed and whipped her hair, rolling her hands over her breasts and fucking herself on the young earthbender’s cock. She could feel him twitching and throbbing inside of her… just on the edge of orgasm.

“Unnh.” She closed her eyes, getting lost in the sensation. The avatar couldn’t afford to get too carried away, of course… of all the things she had to do in this world, bringing a child into it was not an option.

She felt like she was… drifting away. To someplace distant and sublime. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. It was almost… spiritual. Her eyes flitted beneath the lids and she sighed… countless other moments of bliss and ecstasy came rushing at her. A thousand lifetimes and a thousand loves...

“K-Korra.” Bolin gasped and she was brought out of her reverie. She looked down, watching him squirming, his chest heaving and his stomach expanding and sinking.

She pulled him out and sat on his thighs. Just in the nick of time too. The first dribble of cum came slow at first, before she got a chance to get a good grip… but then he exploded, shooting straight up on the underside of one of her breasts. That thick streak of white rolled down the curvature of her bosom and down onto her abs. Another soon joined it, climbing up… and then back down her sculpted abs. Korra watched as Bolin lay before her, cumming helplessly all over the front of her body. She couldn’t see any of it… but she could feel it. How thick and hot and heavy he was- how explosive his passion was!

But his face was what so mesmerized her. That expression of pure gratification…

She wondered what it must feel like.

At last, when he stopped cumming, Korra leaned back and pushed her breasts in, best as she could, smearing cum over one. She bit her lip, looking at the mess he made all over her… his hot spunk was dragging down over her abs and her groin, even getting caught a bit in the tuft of hair over her womanhood. So long as he didn’t let any out inside… this was alright.

“Hey.” She cooed, “You, uh, got a shower?”

“Huh? Wuh… ah… yeah.” Bolin panted, weakly pointing off to the side.

Sure, she was going to have to swim across Yue Bay to make her way back to Air Temple Island anyway but… well, she needed to get going. Korra felt bad for leaving him like this. He really did save her back there… and she knew sex wasn’t all he was looking for.

In fact… now he knew her true identity.

As she stood beneath the deluge of water, alone, in the shower… Korra closed her eyes and smacked her fist against the wall. She was so stupid… sex was the only thing she had to offer him. Just like with Liao.

The White Lotus were here too. With the police then? Was it just a coincidence?

And what to make of that man in the mask…

He horrified her.

Amon.

He could take away anyone’s bending…

Korra leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Avatar Aang was the only one who was supposed to be able to do that.

...why, all of the sudden, did she now feel like there was another avatar?


End file.
